Feering Village FC 4 – 1 Dedham Athletic FC
It was a beautiful late summer morning in the Essex countryside, where Feering Village played host to Dedham Athletic.
The Dedham team, sponsored by RAW Solutions lined up for kick off wearing their kit of white shirts and shorts with light blue socks.
The spectators stood along the side of the pitch, with many commenting on the slope of the pitch, which from one goal to the other was about two feet. Feering won the toss and kicked off, attacking the goal at the bottom of the slope
The Dedham midfield players battled tirelessly, during a hard fought first half an hour. However, while defending a poorly taken Feering corner, the ball was not cleared properly, landing at the feet of an attacker, who dispatched it goalwards from twelve yards.
Encouraged by their goal, Feering steeped uo the pressure in Dedham’s defenders with wave after wave of attacks rebuffed by the Dedham back four.
In the fortieth minute Feering doubled their lead. A defensive mixup, leading to a Feering player tapping home from five yards. The referee blew the whi]stle for half tim shortly after.
During the half time break, Dedham’s management team made some changes, putting a third player into central midfield.
Soon after the second half kicked off, it became clear that the extra midfielder was making a difference, allowing Dedham to compete successfully, and seeing them become far more offensive.
In the fifty second minute, Dedham won a free kick, about twenty yards from the Feering goal.
Paddi Hawkins stood over the ball. The ref blew his whistle, and Paddi cleverly played the ball under the Feering wall as it jumped, blasting it into the bottom left corner of the goal.
That made it 2-1, and Dedham were back in the game. Dedham’s young team started attacking their opposition with vigour, creating chance after change, but unable to score the important equaliser.
The seventy sixth minute saw Feering capitalise on some tired defending by Dedham. The ball became loose on the left side of Dedhams area. A Feering striker was alive ti the situation. He ran on to the ball and scored a third goal for his team, by almost passing the ball into the goal, to the left of Dedham’s keeper.
All credit to Dedham. They kept attaching Feering,. Unfortunately, in the dying moments of the game, Dedham conceded a fourth goal. They were undone by a swift counter attack, straight down the middle of the pitch.
The Dedham players can be proud of themselves despite the scoreline. They gave their all against possibly the best team in the league.